Limestone Football Team Volunteers To Repair Homes

Sweating on a hot summer night, 80 Limestone College football players spent Wednesday evening, July 20, volunteering their time to repair a loose railing on a back porch and do landscaping work outside two Habitat for Humanity homes.

Football players killed a wasp’s nest and removed a tree which had grown into the side of a house in the nonprofit organization’s Hope Acres subdivision off Sarratt Street in Gaffney. Another group of players were busy putting mulch around a flower bed, mowing and weeding outside a home across the street.

“This was a great way to kick off our celebration of our 25th anniversary next month,” Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Amy Crotzer said. “We’ve had church groups and different organizations come out in the past to work on repair projects for Habitat for Humanity. It’s great to see so many Limestone football players out here to help.”

Community volunteers have helped build 26 homes in the Hope Acres subdivision developed in the mid-1990s by Habitat for Humanity. The nonprofit Christian organization’s mission is to provide affordable homes to help low-income families become homeowners.

Homeowners are required to spend at least 100 “sweat equity” hours working with volunteers to build the Habitat houses. Upon completing the house, homeowners pay the mortgage at no interest.

Limestone College Saints head football coach Mike Furrey helped his players carefully measure and cut boards in various lengths to reinforce the railing on a back patio. Several assistant coaches were busy working on landscaping projects at another work site.

Homeowners put in requests for Limestone football team members to return to do additional work. Those requests will be honored by players already on campus to prepare for the start of football practice Aug. 10.

“We plan on returning on Wednesdays to do community service projects for the next two weeks,” Furrey said. “We want to make an impact in the community and change someone’s life. It’s really important to try to give back to the community.”

Limestone football players were not required to come out for Wednesday’s landscaping work in the Hope Acres subdivision. Furrey said players drove their own vehicles and volunteered to spend their free time helping two homes look better for their owners.

Furrey watched as a Hope Acres homeowner brought out cups with water to help his players quench their thirst in a brief water break from building a new railing. The act of kindness is an important lesson the Limestone head coach said he wants his players to learn in life.

“I want our players to learn there is value in helping other people,” Furrey noted. “It’s a blessing for us to do this. We want to have an impact on our student-athletes at Limestone and continue to change lives in our community.”

(Article and photo by Scott Powell, The Gaffney Ledger)